Black Iced Tea (Sweet Tea) Recipe

Black Iced Tea (Sweet Tea) is a real classic of the American South and by far the most popular way that camellia sinensis is consumed in the USA. Adding high quality Jenier tea to this classic recipe is a surefire way to a successful summer refreshment.

Ingredients (makes 1.5 litres of Iced Tea)

36g of black tea (we sell this amount in our Ice Tea pack, inside a tea sac, but this can also be loose leaf tea that you infuse, contained in a t-sac or be the equivalent value in pyramids or tea bags). The important aspect here is for the tea to be strong. We use Lover’s Leap Ceylon tea in our iced tea set but we recommend a similar tea as some black tea blends can leave the iced tea cloudy.

1L of filtered water

500g of ice

24g (6 teaspoons) of sugar (or stevia or honey or other sweetener). We recommend enough sweetener is added to make the tea nice and sweet. The bitterness of black tea doesn’t suit an unsweetened cold drink.

Directions

Put the ice aside in a container or pitcher that can contain at least 1.5L of fluid and can withstand the hot tea without breaking. Refrigerate while brewing.

Bring the litre of water to boil in a pot or kettle. Allow the water to come down from the boil slightly and pour it over the tea (which should be in a pot large enough for 1L of fluid). Allow the tea to brew for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the tea bags/infuser once the tea has brewed to an reddish-brown appearance.

Remove the tea bags from the pot, remove the pot from the heat and stir in your sweetener. Allow it to stand for a minute.

Carefully pour the brewed tea over the ice. Most of the ice will melt instantly. Refrigerate the tea further before serving.

For a Half and Half (Arnold Palmer)

Make Sweet Tea as above but pour 1.5l of lemonade into the iced tea so the blend is now 50% Sweet Tea and 50% lemonade. Depending on the sweetness of your lemonade, you can forgo adding a sweetener to the tea. For every 200ml, add one shot of vodka to your Arnold Palmer for it to become a John Daly.